lethal dose of love
Writer/Artist: Yosumi
Translator: Amber Tamosaitis
Letter: Chancellor Dietrich
Publisher: Yenpress
Publication date: October 15, 2024
Rating: 18+
Genre: Romance, Boys Love
Content Warning: “Lethal Love” features references to child abuse, sexual abuse, alcoholism, and suicide.
When Yu confesses to Ryosuke at high school, Ryosuke is surprised at first, but Yu leaves the next day before he can reply. However, Ryosuke never forgot about him and tried to track him down for years. Just when he is about to lose hope, he finds Yuu again, but he slips out of his hands again and falls into the arms of another man.
I read a fair amount of BL. I wouldn’t claim to be any kind of expert, but I think I have a pretty good understanding of the genre. Lethal Dose of Love doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but I was pleasantly surprised by how subtly it subverts some of the common tropes of BL.
In many BL manga, usually only one person in the relationship has unrequited love for the other, but in “Lethal Dose of Love” they have feelings for each other. Another example is when Ryosuke is ready to tell Yu that he reciprocates her feelings. This doesn’t happen often because the confessed party refuses to confess, saying, “I don’t know how I feel about you,” or “I do.” I only see you as a friend. ” The reciprocation usually occurs near the climax of the story, when Ryosuke is already sure of his feelings for Yuu.
However, there is a moment where Ryosuke says, “It’s not like I’m gay or anything,” which plays into the BL trope of men being “just gay” to their eventual romantic partners. A lethal dose of love manages to weaken it.
Ryosuke then says that he thought Yu was straight, so he was content just being by his side as a friend, but this confession gave him the courage to confess himself. He had always loved Yuu, but he didn’t want to lose his friend if he didn’t feel the same way. In BL, this kind of thing doesn’t happen often, especially from an “above” perspective.
The emotional aspects of Lethal Dose of Love are very well done, especially regarding Yuu’s emotional state. Due to his family circumstances, Yu has a distorted concept of what love is. Yu, who was abandoned by his mother, is desperate. He wanted love and believed physical love was the easiest way to get it (“I’ll take anyone if they’ll love me”), but at the same time I was afraid it would develop further. He truly believed that he was a curse, unworthy of happiness or love from anyone. I can’t make anyone happy. That’s why I can’t be with Ryosuke.”
At the same time, I felt like Yuu’s trauma from his childhood was never addressed, which is a shame because that’s the root of Yuu’s problems. he was sexually assaulted. It was kind of glorified to focus on the relationship between him and Ryosuke. I wish there was some kind of solution for this. I understand the purpose of the story that this is to symbolize that Yuu’s past no longer binds him and that he should stay in the present and look to the future, but… It’s actually not easy to forget.
Yosumi’s drawings express Yuu’s emotional changes very well. Yuu’s eyes are empty and emotionless. He seems fed up with life and acts as if he is just waiting for the day to end. However, during his date with Ryosuke, you can see his walls gradually coming down. His cheeks flushed slightly as he realized that love could be as simple as spending an ordinary day with the person you love.
As for Ryosuke, he is extremely patient and understanding. He is content to follow Yuu’s pace and shows no mercy no matter how far Yuu pulls him away. He hesitates to force Yuu too much, but thanks to his friend Chika, he realizes that he must make a choice with the least regret. This is similar to Yuu’s confession from high school, which I loved.
As a one-shot, “Lethal Amount of Love” ends very well, but my only complaint is that I wish Yuu had had more time to heal from his childhood trauma. I wish this manga had a spin-off about Yuu’s sex friend Honjou. Although he doesn’t appear much in the manga, he has a reason for taking Yuu in, which would be interesting to read.
If you’re looking for something short with minimal angst, but plenty of sweetness, you might want to pick up Lethal Dose of Love.
Lethal Love from Underworld was released in digital and print by Yen Press on October 15, 2024.
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